The Rise and Fall of Dumbledore's Army
by 0WolfMoon0
Summary: Neville never felt as alone as he did getting on the train for his seventh year. He had no idea what to anticipate, but he iknew he had to be strong. - This is the tale of a boy who became a man through circumstances that would break those who were weaker. What happened at Hogwarts while the Golden Trio was off destroying Horcruxes? Rated M for violence and coarse language.
1. Prologue

**a/n hello all! Wolfie here. This story has been running around in my mind for almost a year, but I have finally decided to take up the pen. Prepare to follow Neville through the most life-changing year of his life.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own most of these characters. They are the brain-children of Queen Rowling. **

Neville looked around him in the Great Hall. His head was throbbing in pain, probably from spell damage, but he didn't care because compared to many of those he saw around him, Neville was a small case. He saw the effects of the Sectumsempra curse first-hand, and the people shaking and looking much like his parents, evidently the victims of a Cruciatus. He also saw the families of those people, the mothers who knew that their son had been damaged beyond repair by the spell-induced pain, the siblings who held their parents as they watched the life slowly drain out of them from life-threatening wounds, and the spouses crying over the loss of their significant other.

The leader of Dumbledore's Army had never felt more helpless then he did right there in the middle of the Great Hall, as he witnessed the crying over the dead. The entire Weasley family, plus a weeping Hermione, could be seen huddled around a lone red-haired corpse. Harry Potter crying silently with an arm around Dennis Creevy at the feet of the body of Dennis's older brother. One could tell that Harry's tears were also shed for the Lupins, whose bodies were lain beside Collin.

Holding the sword of Gryffindor in his hands, Neville stared at the utter pain of others around him with unshed tears in his eyes. People who walked by would pat him on the back and congratulate him, even if all he had done was behead a snake. However, he didn't want all the attention. _This must be how Harry feels all the time, _thought Neville. _I wonder how long it took him to get fed up with the hero worship. Merlin knows, I already am. _All the congratulations irked Neville. All that he wanted was to be left alone. He had lost so much over the course of the year, endured so many hurts, forced to put on a strong face for the members of the DA. He had seen as much over the course his seventh year. Even if he didn't show it as much on the outside, he mourned the fallen.

Somewhere amid his blind contemplation, he had begun to wander about the castle, and in his thoughts as well. Not wondering where his feet were taking him, he arrived at the Room of Requirement. It was only natural, he supposed, that he gravitate there. It had become his home when he had no longer been able to escape the Carrows in the rest of the castle.

_That's odd, _he thought as he observed the door before him. _I don't remember telling the Room to smoke... Then again, I haven't yet told the Room to do anything, much less appear... That really cannot be a good sign. _

He carefully made note in his head to tell McGonagall about the apparent demise of Hogwarts' most versitile room before he began another dreary trek to the bed that was his in Gryffindor tower. Neville hadn't slept there in nearly a month, but when he got to the dormitory he noted that everything was pristine, just how he had left it. He set his wand down on the table mext to the picture he had of his parents, trying not to disturb the perfectly organized papers and quills.

Making another mental note to thank the school house elves, he fell onto his comfortable bed and allowed the sword he had been gripping with all of his might for the past hour to fall to the ground. As he lay there in his bed, he couldn't help but wonder how he had survived the year of hell that Snape had put allthe students through. Without a conscious memory, though, he found himself reliving the whole bloody thing.


	2. Chapter 1

Neville pushed his trolley into King's Cross station on September first every year since he was eleven. His gran never put up with any nonsense of it being "too heavy," and over the years Neville found it easier to push his own trolley. Each year he grew more excited for the year to come. Seeing as it was his last year at Hogwarts, he should have been running to go see his friends on Platform 9 3/4, exceedingly excited to learn more about magic and spend time on the grounds with Seamus, Dean, Harry and the rest of them. The key word there is should have been, because instead he stalled at his gran's car.

They had decided to take the old car because his gran didn't like being monitored everywhere she went. So Neville got to dawdle, taking forever to remove his trunk from the trunk of the car

"Hurry up, Neville," Mrs. Longbottom huffed, standing a few paces behind him. Despite, or perhaps because of, her age, Augusta Longbottom was a force to be reckoned with. One look from her was normally enough to make Neville cower. "You do not want to miss the train, young man. You have your NEWTs this year and Merlin knows it wouldn't make your parents proud if you just lived with me your whole life, not accomplishing anything because you were unable to take your NEWTs."

"Might it have occurred to you I really don't want to go to Hogwarts this year," Neville murmured under his breath.

"If you have something to say, young man, speak up," said Augusta, and it was obvious to Neville that she had sensed his unsavory meaning.

"Nothing, Gran," Neville replied as he resigned himself, giving his trunk a final tug as he moved it to the trolley. His gran gave him a look of admonishment.

"I do not deserve your cheek, boy. Now get on that train before it leaves you behind. Since enrollment is now compulsory, I'm sure whatever headmaster that the blasted Ministry put up in Dumbledore's office would be awfully unhappy if a seventh year student, who is of age, was missing." Augusta gave a huff of disgust at the situation.

Neville bent to give her a peck on the cheek before heading into the station. This was unusual for him, public displays of affection, but he was worried about his gran in the situation of the Wizarding world, even though he knew that he needn't. "Don't worry about me, Gran. I'll be relatively safe in Hogwarts from You-Know-Who."

His gran patted his cheek in return and gave Neville a small smile. "I'm not worried about _him,_ I'm worried about the cronies he likely has teaching you. Now hurry up, we must get to the platform."

Obligingly, Neville went before his grandmother onto the platform. Once there, Neville felt the wrongness of the platform, a wrongness that had never been there before. There were families with older children who looked like they had no desire to be there. Practically nobody wanted to be there, but least of all were those who used to be homeschooled and were now required to attend Hogwarts because You-Know-Who made attendance at there mandatory. To Neville the new students' presence served only as a reminder of who _wasn't_ there.

The golden trio, everyone called them; Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the group of best friends who were almost never seen without each other. They were not there. Nor was Dean Thomas, who had told Neville that he didn't know his blood-lines. Then there was Justin Finch-Fletchly who wasn't there. Neville knew he was muggle-born as well from the incidents with the basilisk and the Chamber in his second year. _Damn Muggleborn Registration Commission, _thought Neville with hostility.

On the platform it felt, to Neville at least, that nobody except the Slytherins wanted to be getting on the Hogwarts Express to the best magical school in all of Europe. Even then, only about half of the Slytherins, the ones with Death Eater families, were grinning on their way toward the train, as if they expected some kind of special treatment.

Draco Malfoy was walking around like he owned the place, his cronies Crabbe and Goyle taking care to put his trunk on the train for him. _The haughty bastard_, Neville thought. _Seems to forget that his father was sent to Azkaban not too long ago._

Neville realized too late that he hadn't moved from the entrance to the platform during his reverie when his gran came through and ran right into him." Neville!" she cried out in surprise. She then stuck him with a glare that always made him wither.

"Sorry, Gran," he murmured was he quickly moved away from her. The imposing woman who raised him was not happy, Neville could tell from years of experience when she wasn't happy with him.

"Get yourself on that train, now. You only have two minutes until eleven, and then it will leave without you. I will see you at Christmas. Don't write unless you could handle _them_ reading it, as undoubtedly they will." Augusta jerked her head toward the Death Eaters that were walking around the perimeter of the platform. Neville nodded, leaned down, and gave his gran a hug. This startled Augusta, for Neville never showed his affection toward her, but she hugged him back. Neville could tell that it struck her how he had gotten so tall and strong while she wasn't looking.

"Stay safe, Gran. I'll see you soon." He let her go and made his way onto the train, casting a leery look at the silent, masked Death Eaters. Neville knew he shouldn't worry, after all his gran was quite a powerful witch.

Neville boarded the train just in time, lugging his trunk behind him. Not thirty seconds had passed before the train began the trip to Hogwarts. Quickly, Neville found his way to the compartment he normally shared with Ginny and Luna, who had become his very close friends during his fifth year, the year when they were part of the DA and battled together at the ministry. He wasn't sure if either of them would attend Hogwarts, he knew of a small group of Hufflepuff seventh years, including Justin Finch-Fletchley, that fled to Greece to avoid the regime of You-Know-Who.

He needn't have worried that they wouldn't be there, after all they were both purebloods like him. In the compartment already was Luna, who was reading a copy of her father's magazine, The Quibbler. She didn't look up as Neville came in. "Hello, Nev. How was your summer?"

Neville forced a smile as he lugged his trunk up to the overhead compartment. "It was fine, Luna. Mum and Dad are fine, but Gran and I don't know if how long St. Mungo's will stay out of Ministry control. How was yours, Luna?"

Luna closed her magazine and set it face-up on the seat on her other side. "I had a fabulous summer. Daddy and I went to Bill Weasley's wedding and we went searching for Blibbering Humdingers in Romania. Daddy even let me write an article on our findings for the Quibbler."

"That's wonderful, Luna. Speaking of the Weasleys, do you know where Ginny is?" Neville plopped down on the seat across from Luna wondering where his other good friend was.

"Ginny," said a voice from the now-open door. "Would be right here" Neville and Luna's heads whipped around to see the form of a small, bouncy ginger who was their best friend. Behind Ginny was the taller form of Seamus Finnigan.

"Hey, Shay. What are you doing over here?" Neville stood to grab Ginny's trunk, which only succeeded in making her upset.

"Neville I am perfectly capable of handling my own trunk," snapped Ginny as she lifted her own trunk up next to his. Seamus cleared his throat.

"I was wonderin' if I might sit with you all today. My compartment's kind of lonely without Dean." Seamus said with his Irish lilt. Neville could see the sadness in Seamus' eyes as he talked about their missing friend.

"Oh, we don't mind," Luna replied in her dreamy sort of way, then returned to her magazine. Ginny sat down next to her, leaving Seamus to sit by Neville.

"Luna," Ginny said in a questioning voice. "Is that... Harry? On the cover of your magazine..." Everyone in the compartment's eyes suddenly found their way to look at Luna's copy of the Quibbler.

She nodded, right before having the magazine ripped from her hands by a frantic Ginny, who then began to read the article aloud.

_'Harry Potter, once considered the chosen one, has now been turned over by the ministry. Ministry officials have named him 'Undesirable Number 1' as a threat to the Wizarding World. They now fail to even acknowledge that they thought of Potter (17) as the Chosen One._

_'It is now all but common knowledge of why he earned himself this notorious role in the view of the government. The Daily Prophet refuses to post the truth of the ministry, not even acknowledging the fact of this abrupt change in public opinion, of course meaning that the Ministry is being run by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It is still our firm belief at The Quibbler that Harry is the Chosen One and we will stand by him._

'_Those who believe Harry is simply on the run, trying not to be caught, are dead wrong. He is most likely looking to find the best way for us all to live in peace, and the overthrow of the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who. We here at the Quibbler believe that he, along with his two best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (both also 17), is trying to his utmost to stop the control of You-Know-Who in the Wizarding World. You, reader, should realize that it is not Harry who has changed, it is the Ministry view on him. And why has the Ministry view on him changed? Just ask that question yourself._

_'Long live Harry Potter.'_

Ginny finished in a gulp. "Luna," she questioned slowly. "Isn't your father afraid of what might happen if the ministry doesn't like what he's posting?"

Luna shrugged in response. "Daddy is doing what he feels is right and that's really what matters. Besides, Harry needs to know that he has our support."

Neville and Seamus sat back in their seats. They had all gathered around Ginny to better hear her read. "Luna, I always thought your dad's magazine was utter bollocks but hearing that, sign me up for a subscription." Seamus sat in awe. "The Prophet hasn't posted anything that honest since Thicknesse took over as minister. How did your da' get away with publishing that?"

Luna grinned. "Sometimes being underestimated has its perks. Apparently the Wizarding world doesn't take dad seriously."

Seamus grinned. "Think I could get a copy to send to my mam? She believes the Prophet's word is law and I've been trying to talk sense into her."

"Sure, I'll tell Daddy to send her a copy for you Seamus. I really do find it sad how the Ministry is using the Prophet for control. You know, when Fudge was minister he tried to take over Gringotts. Daddy didn't think we could get a minister who was much worse." Luna then reopened her magazine, found where she had left off, and resumed reading. Ginny and Neville had lapsed into silence. After a few minutes, Neville spoke.

"Gin, are you alright? I know we've never been incredibly close friends, but you seem a bit rattled." Neville spoke in what he hoped was a kind voice. When Ginny looked up, he could tell that something was wrong. "Gin?"

Ginny wiped at her eyes. "I'm fine, Nev. Just..." she paused. "Oh who am I kidding! Nevermind."

Seamus and Luna looked up from their reading, as Neville leaned toward Ginny. "Ginny, what's wrong? What's on your mind?" He questioned. Ginny opened her mouth to answer just as their compartment door swung open. Neville and Ginny were on their feet with their wands out immediately.

"Well, if it isn't a little party of blood-traitors," sneered Draco Malfoy from the doorway. Neville's hand clenched tighter around his wand. He noticed that Ginny's hand had done the same, but neither them made a move. This made Malfoy's sneer even deeper. "What's wrong, Longbottom? No Potter to tell you when it's alright to attack?" Malfoy took a step toward Neville, his own wand slipping into his hand. "I bet you would love to be told what to do. You listen to your batty old gran, after all."

Malfoy's jeering struck home with Neville as he barely realized what he was doing. One second he was standing face to face with Draco Malfoy and the next his wand was pointed at the frozen body of Draco, lying on the ground in a full body-bind. Looking around, he saw his friends' looks of shock. Neville Longbottom had vexed Draco Malfoy.

_That was more satisfactory than I could have imagined, _thought Neville. _But I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon._

Addressing Draco, Neville spoke in a quiet voice. "Do not speak of my gran that way, or anyone I care about that way. You seem to forget that I've held my own against wizards who are bigger and better than you. Now run on back to your big cronies and hide behind them like you were raised to." Neville then lifted the body-bind and stepped back

Draco brushed himself off and slid his wand into his pocket while glaring at Neville. "You'll pay for that, Longbottom. Mark my words," said Malfoy, as he left their compartment and closed the door.

Once Malfoy had left, Seamus did exactly the opposite of what Neville had expected. Neville, Luna, and Ginny sat and watched as Seamus laughed his arse off. After a few minutes, he finally calmed down enough to form coherent words. "Nev... the look on his face! It was like... he couldn't... believe... you... Nev, you hexed Draco Malfoy! And... and... he left!" This of course brought Seamus back to laughter, and this time Luna, Neville and Ginny joined in.

Neville found it freeing, laughing about it, because as he looked at it, the whole situation was rather humorous. _Ridiculous, _he thought. _I just told Draco Malfoy to get out and he listened. And I hexed him! Wait... I hexed Malfoy..._

Neville slowly stopped laughing, and was soon followed by the others. He looked at them all resolutely. "I have officially lost it. I'm sending myself to St. Mungo's. I hexed Malfoy. I'm probably as good as dead, so I might as well take up permanent residency with my parents in the spell-damage ward."

Luna gave him a placating look. "Nev, he can't do anything to you. You just laid him flat on the floor in less than two seconds flat. You're stronger than him and he will learn to deal with it. Stop blushing and take the compliment. You're the Gryffindor here." Luna's bluntness made Neville see that she was right, but his raising had made him bashful.

"Harry could have done better," Neville muttered under his breath. He thought no one had heard him, but he soon found he was wrong. Ginny's face lit in fury.

"Neville Longbottom!" yelled Ginny, after a well-placed silencing charm had been applied to the compartment door. "You are not Harry! You will never be Harry! We don't want you to be Harry! And as much as I wish Harry were here, we all do, it will do nobody any good for you to compare yourself to him! You are Neville Longbottom, and from what I just saw that's a damn good thing!" Her tirade done, Ginny sat back in her seat and curled into a ball. Luna put an arm around Ginny and the four sat in an uncomfortable silence as Ginny cried silently into her knees.

Neville couldn't remember a time where he had seen Ginny cry since she had been a first year and was taken into the Chamber of Secrets. "Gin... I'm sorry, I should have thought.."

"No, Nev. I'm sorry for blowing up at you. Let's just forget it ever happened."

XxXxXxXxXxX

After a while, Ginny had stopped crying and the four got on their uniforms. Neville noticed that Ginny was deep in thought most of the train ride and had wondered what was on her mind. Knowing Ginny, it could have been anything. The only conclusion Neville was able to draw was that it was probably important.

However, obviously it was not _too_ important as Seamus brought out a Wizard's Chess board and immediately started up a game with Ginny. For a while, everything was calm. Then, the train lurched to a stop. Everyone looked up from the game and Luna looked out the window.

"That's odd..." she declared. "We're not at Hogwarts yet..."

This statement made Neville pale. "Last time this happened, they sent dementors..." he said nervously. "But... they must know who's on the train. There's no need!"

"Nev, they're not going to send dementors. You would have felt them already," Ginny soothed all of their fears with her words, but Neville still stood up, wand in hand, in a completely uncharacteristic move.

A few minutes passed as they waited in silent tension before anything happened. Then, Neville saw movement on the other side and clenched his wand tightly. A group of Death Eaters were checking all the compartments. Behind him, he sensed the others taking out their wands as well. Neville clenched the handle, with the intention of keeping the door shut.

Suddenly, Neville realised what they must be looking for. Or rather, who they were looking for. He remembered the faces that were not at the Platform, and the fact that the Ministry had named one of them Undesirable Number 1. Neville didn't know what got into him, but he did something completely non-Neville-like.

Instead of holding the door closed, he opened it and, taking a step out into the corridor, he addressed the Death Eaters simply and boldly, "Hey, morons. He's not here."

His friends behind him looked in shock and people up and down the hall in compartments heard, and stuck their heads around their doors to see who had spoken so boldly to the Death Eaters. Neville turned a slight shade of red, but stood his ground. Everyone who poked their heads to see were not as shocked as Neville himself.

One Death Eater strode up to Neville and addressed him curtly, and with much sarcasm that shocked Neville, saying, "Many thanks for your compliance in the matter of finding Mr. Potter." Neville was then promptly shoved back into his compartment and left glaring as the Death Eater slid the door shut. However, he figured he hit the mark when, moments later, the train began to move again.

Luna looked at Neville pensively. "I did wonder if you were really a Gryffindor once, you seemed like a Hufflepuff to me. Now, I can't quite remember why."

Seamus clapped him on the back, beaming. "Good on ye, mate! Didn't know you had it in ye! Where did it come from?"

Neville grinned. "I don't rather know, but it felt bloody good!"

Ginny also grinned at him, but the look in her eyes told Neville that the wheels in her head were turning. However, the run-in had obviously put them all in oddly pleasant moods as could be told by the entertaining banter between the four regarding the intense game of chess.

After a while, a knock came at the door. Seamus waved the two figures on the other side in and in walked Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein, Ravenclaw seventh years. Neville's brows furrowed, as he had never really talked to either of them, but Luna perked up when she saw them. "Hullo Terry, hullo Anthony. What brings you here?" she asked with a smile.

"Hey Luna," Terry began. "We were just coming to see who was in this compartment. Word on the train has it that a yell from this compartment sent the Death Eaters running."

Seamus spoke up from his spot on the floor. "Yeah, that, my good man, was Neville here. And it wasn't from inside the compartment; he walked out into the corridor! He told 'em Harry wasn' here and they went scampering." Seamus cracked a large grin, leaving out many of the details, and looked at the two Ravenclaws. "He also called 'em morons, which gave me much satisfaction."

Anthony and Terry looked at Neville, impressed. "Didn't know you had it in you, Longbottom," commented Anthony. "That took serious bollocks."

Terry gave his friend a pointed look that said, 'not to his face. We'll talk after.' Grinning at Neville, he said, "Well it looks like the Hogwarts rumor mill got something right already."

Neville scrunched up his eyebrows. "Rumors? About me?"

Again, Anthony jumped to the punch. "Well yes! Lots of people from this area keep walking around telling everyone about how bloody brilliant you were! Nobody would believe it was really you!" This earned him an elbow jab from Terry.

"What he means to say," amended Terry. "is that it was unlike something you typically do and we wanted to hear what happened from the supposed source."

Looking all the part offended, Seamus about to begin a tirade on why you shouldn't doubt a Gryffindor when Ginny pulled an Umbridge-like "hem hem," which made everyone jump a little. "Seamus, it is your turn and if you do not go soon, my pieces will consider it a forfeit." Winking at the Ravenclaws, Seamus returned to the game.

Neville turned to address the two Ravenclaws. "I'm as shocked as you are, but I guess the hat put me into Gryffindor for a reason." Terry and Anthony just gave each other pointed looks, having a conversation without words.

"Well, we really must get back to our compartment," Terry said abruptly. "Odds are Michael is trying to snog Padma, and I for one want to see that fancy spell work she has first-hand." Then, waving farewell, Terry and Anthony left the compartment and closed the door.

Neville sat dumbfounded as they were leaving. He couldn't have formed a coherent goodbye if he had tried. _I probably should have thought about the long term effect of that... _he thought. _I mean, They could probably throw me in Azkaban for that! I'm a rumor topic and for once not about my clumsiness... What have I done..._

After they had left, Ginny said confusedly, "I thought Terry was a muggleborn..."

"He is," stated Luna. "I think he faked his family tree to make himself related to Anthony or Michael. Daddy ran an article telling how to fake your tree in the Quibbler a couple of weeks ago. Lots more people are reading now than before this You-Know-Who business."

"Well whatever the case, I'm rather not surprised that word of you is getting around, Neville," Ginny added in, causing Neville to tense up.

Seamus was the one to break the tension. "So, how long do you think it'll take those two to realize they have feelings for each other?"

Luna scrunched up her face. "You mean Padma and Michael, or Anthony and Terry?"

"Eh," Seamus thought for a second. "Both." He grinned a wicked grin as the four of them started laughing.

Then Luna, in all seriousness, replied. "Terry and Anthony have been snogging each other for six months or so now, and as for Padma and Michael, that's never going to happen." This revelation led to more laughter, more to the fact that they hadn't realized that this was going on than that it actually was.

_Anyone passing in the corridor right now probably thinks we've got a pack of laughing hyenas in here! Damn, it's good to laugh! _Neville thought happily. Over the course of the summer, he had forgotten what it felt like to laugh.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The four friends filled the compartment with idle chatter when the conversation took a more serious turn. Outside, it had begun to drizzle. It started with the seemingly harmless story of Seamus' telling. "So I took my mam's latest copy of the damn Prophet and burned it before she read it. The woman was bloody furious! Had to go into Diagon Alley and buy her another copy, though Diagon Alley has turned to the dogs at this point and I made sure to accidently drop her money to some poor sod on the side of the street!"

Ginny laughed. "Seamus, what is it with your and fire, anyway? I mean, pyromaniac much?"

This only made Seamus' smile widen. "You see, Gin. Fire and I go back a long way..."

As he started another story, Neville interrupted. "Shay, your mum still gets the Prophet?" Seamus nodded, as he continued his dramatic retelling of first year charms class and levitation spells. "See, I was just a wee lad when it happened. All of eleven years old. I was sitting there in charms class, Halloween, learnin' _Wingardium Leviosa_..." But Neville had a purpose, and was not to be deterred.

"My gran stopped getting the Prophet. Said it was a bunch of codswallop. Did they ever say who the new Hogwarts headmaster is? I just assumed it was McGonagall, but it doesn't look like I'm right, seeing as she would never allow for stray Death Eaters to be looking for a student to abduct on the train."

"So Hermione was able to levitate her feather on the first try. Your brother, Ron, he hadn't been saying it right and she had to show him up. Once she did it, of course-" Seamus stopped his story mid-sentence and turned to look at Neville. "You mean you haven't heard?" Neville shook his head and braced himself. Seamus looked to Luna to explain, who in turn looked to Ginny.

"The headmaster," replied Ginny for the group. "Well... it's Snape." Neville's jaw dropped in shock. There was no way in hell that his most hated professor was suddenly headmaster.

"You're kidding!"

"Completely serious," replied Ginny

"But he's..."

"We know," chimed Seamus.

"A Death Eater! What's going to happen to DADA?"

"Well," Luna took a deep breath. "The article said it's now compulsory to take Dark Arts class and Muggle Studies. Both ate taught by Death Eaters..."

"Alecto and Amycus Carrow," added Seamus.

"And basically the entire curriculum is going to be centered on training all of us good little pure and half-bloods to be good little Death Eaters," Luna finished.

"That's bloody awful!" Neville cried in shock.

Ginny cracked a small smile. "You guys know what Ron would say if he were here."

The rest of them grinned grimly as Neville replied, "Bloody Hell."

Seamus' grin widened as he said, "Or he would say blimey and act really confused." They all chortled with laughter.

Ginny again piped up. "Well, I had this idea... but it's just an idea and I'm pretty sure that it's not very good… but it's an idea to still maintain our freedom in the face of this rubbish."

"Gin," Seamus said. "If something's on your mind, tell us. Your ideas tend to be brill."

"Well," she started, chewing on her nails as she went. "It just kinda... well..."

Just then, the train lurched to a stop and all of their faces changed from gleeful and open, to determined.

"Off to Hogwarts we go," said Neville, with no amount of glee, but endless amounts of resignation. "Let's survive this coming year, shall we?"

"Never thought the day would come when I wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts," claimed Seamus, as they all grabbed their cloaks from their trunks.

"I never thought I would be _afraid_ to go to Hogwarts." Ginny sighed.

Luna put a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "I don't think any of us did. But we still have to and we can make the best of it. We'll stick together and make it through this year. Later you'll have to tell us about your plan, either at the feast or at breakfast tomorrow."

Protesting, Ginny shook her head. "Forget I said anything. There is no need at the moment for my idea and I don't think it's very good." This made Luna sigh in aggravation.

"Ginny honestly-"

"No. Maybe later but… just no."

Seamus looked to Neville "Let's go?" Seamus asked with no real certainty. Neville then noticed all of them looking at him, as though the decision was his. Neville nodded, finding this role of a sort of leader not fully to his fancy.

"Let's go," he said. And the four trudged from their compartment into the throng of students making their way off the train. When he looked at Ginny, she looked like she wanted to run away. He saw as Luna gave her a small nod of encouragement, which was enough to help her fight-or-flight reflex choose as she walked determinedly behind him.

_Just come on, Nev, _he thought._ Merlin knows we don't want to go back to Hogwarts. But we have no choice. We'll make it through the year._

Neville, Luna, Seamus and Ginny made their way through the crowd toward the thestral-pulled carriages. Neville could see the shock on Ginny's face as she saw the thestrals for the first time. They climbed into the carriage that held their friends Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Ernie Macmillan, all seventh year Hufflepuffs. They all rode in silence as the carriage began to move to take them to Hogwarts.

_No turning back now, _thought Neville. _Hogwarts, here we come._

**A/N I hope you enjoyed reading chapter one as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'm trying to keep these things accurate to the book, not so much the movie so bear with me. So this story has been jumping around in my mind for over a year, and I'm so glad to finally get it on paper! Special thanks to my betas Annemarie and Suzanne! See you all next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 2

The ride to Hogwarts was uncomfortable to say the least. In reality, it was the worst feeling that Neville had ever experienced in his life. Neville felt like the thestrals were driving them to their early graves. The whole ride toward the castle gates was spent in silence. Once they approached the gates though, the carriage took an unexpected stop behind another row of already stopped carriages.

"Oi!" shouted Seamus. "What's the holdup?"

"This would be a lot funnier if it weren't so cold," Hannah said, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

Neville grunted in response, while Ginny shot her a slightly condescending look. "Yeah, because the situation would be a whole lot better if we weren't freezing our bloody arses off," Seamus replied curtly. Neville smacked him upside the head. "Oi! What'd I do?"

"Everything," said Ginny behind a cough. This the passengers on the carriage found mildly humorous, though it earned her a glare from Seamus.

"Wankers…" Seamus grumbled under his breath.

"Seamus, watch what you say, and be nice to Hannah," Neville warned, ignoring Ginny's comment as best he could. "_They're _checking the carriages, just like they checked the train." Ernie leaned toward Neville at the mention of the unplanned stop the train had made.

_Probably telling me that I'm not acting like myself, _Neville thought begrudgingly. _I never take charge... I'm not my parents... And why in the name of Merlin am I defending Hannah? I've never done that before... Eh, probably just avoiding more conflict. Nothing to think on._

"Nev, is it true? Rumor on the train said you called the Death Eaters losers, and they left when _you _called them out," Ernie asked, as though he didn't believe it. Neville would have said something to Ernie at that remark, but he didn't have to jump to his own defense. No, Luna had that covered in her passive, almost dreamy way.

"Actually," she corrected. "He called them morons. Now, if everyone would just stop talking, our carriage is getting closer to the gates. Let's try to have as little conflict as possible. It's only the first day of term." Everyone looked around. Neville hadn't realized that they were moving, but they were almost at the gates already.

Just as he made this observation, a pair of masked Death Eaters swept up to their carriage. "State your name and blood status," one of the masked men said with a raspy, uneven voice. Neville thought that the man behind the mask who spoke must be under the Imperius curse. He'd seen it on people enough times to recognize it, thanks to Moody's teaching in his fourth year.

The masked man was looking directly at Neville, who glared right back at him. "Neville Longbottom, pureblood." The other Death Eater checked a name off of a list on his clipboard.

The rest of them in the carriage were mildly shocked by the up-front-ness Neville was showing, obviously not realising that he hadn't been given a choice, particularly the Hufflepuffs, but they hid it well enough from the Death Eaters. Ginny and Seamus all followed Neville's lead, showing their Gryffindor bravery. Then Luna declared herself before finally the three Hufflepuffs stated themselves, Ernie as a pureblood and Susan and Hannah being halfbloods. This seemed to satisfy the two Death Eaters, as they marked each student off as in attendance and marched on to the next carriage in line.

Neville had never been happier in his whole life as when they moved further from the Death Eaters. That is, until they stopped again. This time, they were supposed to disembark. Ernie, Susan and Hannah hurried off to check on their Hufflepuff friends. Luna linked arms with Ginny and they both walked steadily into the Great Hall. To Neville, the display of inter-house unity was almost as dramatic as if they had skipped into the Hall. Seamus and Neville shared a look as Seamus jokingly tried to lace his lanky arm through Neville's crossed ones.

"What the... Seamus, you wanker! What the bleedin' hell are you doing?" Neville exclaimed amusedly. Never one for public displays of affection with his gran, much less his close friend who had never done anything of the like before, Neville figured he should get used to it. He didn't particularly dislike it, and he did like the feeling of pissing off Death Eaters and You-Know-Who.

Seamus flashed him a cheeky grin. "Can't say I'm perfectly sane. I'm thinking of just trying to piss off the Death Munchers. Don't tell me you don't plan to do the same." He winked at Neville, who quietly chuckled to himself. In the distance, he could hear the telltale sound of nothing as he realised that the castle was surrounded by silencing charms. They were entirely cut off from the outside.

_Seamus is bloody insane, _Neville thought to himself, slightly reassured by the charms while at the same time extremely concerned. Nobody outside could hear his jibes at the ministry. "I can't say you're entirely wrong, but we're both men who are of age. What would the ladies think?" They began to laugh, quietly and only a little bit. For all anyone around them knew, they could have been crazy; Neville noticed Padma and Parvati looking at them oddly at least. Just then, Nigel walked over to them, worry etched on his face as he looked at their grins.

"Um, I didn't know who else to go to..." he started. However, Neville stopped him, jovial laughter stopping halfway through. "You're the only 7th year Gryffindor guys and I'm not gonna talk to the girls and…"

"Nigel lets walk and talk. I can feel _them _watching." Neville jerked his head at the border of Death Eaters that seemed to encompass the whole grounds on the walls. He and Seamus kept their grins on their lips, but in their eyes was a much harder look. That look was a reality check. A look that was all business.

Neville, Seamus, and Nigel walked into the hall, maintaining a sense of normalcy, even though all three boys knew that the year was so far anything but, even if it was only the first day of term. "What's got you worried, Nigel?" Neville asked with an authority that surprised even him, especially while holding his face in a lighthearted facade.

"Well... We were on the carriage and they stopped us," Nigel looked at the older boys, as though afraid to continue.

"Who is 'we,' Nigel?" Neville asked calmly.

Nigel bit his lip as he responded. "It was me and Colin and Dennis." He looked worried, like they were going to stop him and tell him he was being stupid. He looked to them again for confirmation to continue. "The Creeveys…"

"Keep talking, mate," said Seamus. "Don't make it look unnatural, if you can help it. You've got our attention, and this is obviously important." Neville would have taken more time to revel at how serious Seamus was if he wasn't so wrapped up in what Nigel was saying.

Nodding, Nigel continued. "You see... When they stopped us, which I think they did to everyone, they made us all say our names and blood statuses. Well, I was riding with Colin and Dennis and... well, some sixth year Slytherin blokes. And..."

"Hold on, Nigel," Seamus said. "You're meaning to say they got past the muggleborn registration commission thing? I thought… after Colin's first year…"

Nigel swallowed. "Not really... Colin and Dennis faked their tree to be my cousins, but the Slytherin boys knew he wasn't really a halfblood and as soon as Colin said he was a half-blood, the blokes called him out." Nigel stopped to take a deep breath. Neville could tell that he would not like where this was going. "The one boy...I don't remember his name but I think it was Nott but I'm not sure but he called Colin a... a..." Nigel again stopped to breathe.

Nodding in encouragement, Neville stated, "I've heard them all, Nigel. Don't worry about us."

"Well," Nigel breathed. "Nott called Colin a 'bloody lying mudblood' and called his brother 'a little wizard wannabe' and just like that Colin and Dennis were dragged off the carriage by the Death Eaters." The three had reached the table by then, and when Nigel sat down he put his face in his hands. Neville sat beside him, while Seamus sat across. The three of them were sitting on the end farthest from the staff table, the best place to not be noticed or overheard. It was also the farthest from persons who Neville didn't want to notice yet.

"You don't have to go on," Neville said, noting the toll the story took on the younger boy. He lifted his head to scan the Gryffindor table for Ginny, knowing she might be able to help calm the younger boy.

Nigel took another deep breath and turned to face Neville. "No, because there's more... once they took Dennis and Colin, we kept moving. I had my wand, but with three older boys around there was nothing I could do. But as we kept going, I heard..." Nigel had gotten quieter, and Seamus leaned across the table to hear. "I heard Dennis screaming... and Colin crying out for the man to stop or do it to him instead... and those Slytherins I was suddenly alone with... they all just laughed. One, I don't know his name, called me a 'muggle lover' and laughed at me too and I refused to answer because he would have hurt me. I was a coward."

Neville and Seamus both cringed upon hearing this, but what hurt them even more than Nigel's self-deprecation was what Nigel asked next. "What do you think they were doing to them? Do you think they got away?"

After a shared look, Seamus responded. "Now Nigel, I refuse to lie to you and tell you that everything will be alright. I know you're not a coward and you can handle things. You were smart, not cowardly. So before I tell you, do you really want to know?" Steeling his face, Nigel nodded.

"Dennis is my best friend. I want to know."

Seamus sighed, communicating with Neville in a look that he hated doing this. But Neville just shook his head slightly, silently saying that he wouldn't do it. Looking Nigel right in the eyes, Seamus said what Neville couldn't. "Dennis was probably put under a Cruciatus curse, and the Death Eaters likely made Colin watch. I'm sure you've heard what that curse does so I won't elaborate. But they probably won't kill them. The Creevey brothers are strong. They'll get out before they're taken before that horrid 'muggle-born registration commission' or whatever the hell they're calling it."

Nigel's eyes filled with tears. "I thought so..." He then fell silent until another group of his fourth year friends yelled to him. Neville watched the younger boy's shoulders shake in sadness and from holding back tears, then stop as Nigel heard his name.

"Hey Nigel!" one of them called. "Did you hear about the Falmouth game?" Nigel shrugged and looked at Neville and Seamus, before joining his friends further down the table. _Kids will be kids, _thought Neville, wishing he was able to join them in their ability to forget what was going on outside their relative safe haven in Hogwarts.

Neville watched him go while Seamus fiddled with his knife and fork. At a glance, Nigel looked fine with his friends, but Neville knew better.

Ginny suddenly plopped down next to them. "Michael Corner is an arse," she declared with finality. Seamus gave a halfhearted snicker, and Neville didn't react at all. "Alright, something's up. What happened?"

Seamus looked pitiful as he said, "I think I may have ruined Nigel's childhood."

"Shay," Neville interjected. "He heard the Cruciatus. The Death Eaters ruined his childhood. At least thanks to you he won't be terrified by everything in his path until he finds an answer."

"And you would know?" Seamus questioned quietly.

Neville answered simply. "Yes."

"Wait; hold up," Ginny said bluntly. "Who got hit by a Cruciatus now?"

Neville looked her right in the eyes. "Dennis Creevey, after he and Colin were caught faking their family tree. They used that curse on a fourteen year old boy who had no means of protecting himself right in front of his sixteen year old brother." Neville's hands were balled into fists, but he didn't care. He was outraged.

"Nev," said Ginny, with her hand over her mouth in shock. "Are you..."

"No," he said sharply. "I am not okay and you should know why." Neville saw Ginny and Seamus exchange a glance, but he was too infuriated to do anything. Ginny's look to Seamus basically said she'd tell him later.

_Dennis did nothing! They weren't provoked by Dennis and Colin and yet they find it alright to attack them. _Neville wasn't thinking straight, but he didn't care. Something had come over him and he was powerless to stop it.

The room suddenly fell silent as they heard the click-clack sound of Professor McGonagall walking up the middle of the Hall, leading a group of eleven year olds and several older students to the front to be sorted. Neville had avoided looking at the staff table until then, not wanting to think of who the headmaster was.

He couldn't stand the sight of it. His least favorite teacher was sitting in _Dumbledore's _chair, acting like he owned the place. Snape, acting as headmaster, flanked by two very mean looking people who Neville could only guess were new teachers assigned by You-Know-Who.

However, Neville's attention was soon diverted as the Sorting Hat began to sing. Older students who remembered the message behind the song two years ago wondered what the Hat would preach this year.

"_Some may say I'm ratty _

_And some may call me lame_

_But I'm a Sorting hat, _

_So sorting is my game._

_I sit upon your head,_

_With a single thing in mind_

_To put you where you belong,_

_However that's not all I find._

_You could belong in Gryffindor, _

_Where they are brave for sure._

_Or maybe cunning Slytherin,_

_Cunning house of "all the pure."_

_You might be meant for Hufflepuff,_

_They'll never let you fall._

_Or possibly in Ravenclaw,_

_The smartest of them all._

_But whatever house you go in,_

_It's not the only place you could go._

_If I'm thinking against your idea,_

_You can always tell me no._

_For though I place you best,_

_Or at least they tell me so,_

_You all have many qualities_

_That you can never throw._

_There are Gryffindors with cunning,_

_And Hufflepuffs can be brave._

_A Slytherin is smart._

_And Ravenclaw the same._

_Each house on its own_

_May be apt to tumble_

_But if Hogwarts sticks together,_

_The union will never crumble."_

The hat fell silent and the room started clapping. However the Hogwarts population was lacking its usual cheer. McGonagall stepped forward once the clapping calmed down, which Neville observed didn't take long at all, and began the roll. "Arnold, Gloria."

A tiny girl walked up and sat on the stool, obviously terrified, and after a moment the hat declared, "RAVENCLAW!"

Everyone was cheering louder than usual every time a student was not sent to Slytherin. Ironically, the Slytherins hissed and it seemed like house tensions were higher than ever. The sorting ended with Amelia Volk being sorted to Hufflepuff. McGonagall rolled up her longer-than-usual scroll of new students, picked up the hat and stool, and moved them out of the way before sitting down at the staff table.

As she sat, Professor Snape rose and walked to behind the podium that Neville had always associated with Dumbledore. Neville couldn't help but scowl as he looked at Snape, who addressed the student body. "As I am sure you are all aware of, we are under new administration. Therefore, the way our school is run has altered." Snape's voice made Neville and Seamus shudder equally as much as the words Snape was actually saying.

"Firstly, we have a new professor for both Muggle Studies and the recently renamed Dark Arts class. Professor Alecto Carrow will teach Muggle Studies, and her brother Professor Amycus Carrow will teach Dark Arts." Snape inclined his head to two short, stout, mean looking people sitting by him at the staff table. They definitely looked bad enough to teach subjects approved by You-Know-Who. "Both of these classes are now considered required by the new administration. The Professors Carrow are also heads of discipline. Mr. Filch has also asked me to inform you that he has... updated his list of banned items and it has been posted in all of your common rooms. Also, as always, the Dark Forest is forbidden to students unless there with a professor for class or is all."

Snape then returned to the center chair in the staff table and the food appeared on the tables. Everyone began digging in and Hogwarts gossip began circulating. From what Neville could tell, the gossip mill of Hogwarts was currently talking about two things: Neville's outburst on the train and the new administration. As Ginny, Seamus, and Neville ate, they tried to ignore the whispers that were directed at them, though mostly at Neville, and also ignore the Death Eaters who were now their professors. However, doing that was absolutely impossible.

Seamus leaned into Ginny and Neville, none of them even trying to talk through the ruckus that was a feast in the Great Hall. "You know those new professors, the Carrows." He gestured to the staff table as vaguely as he could. Ginny and Neville nodded, and Seamus continued. "I saw them, with my own eyes, before now. They were there, on that day when Dumbledore died. I saw them with Malfoy, walking across the grounds."

"Well, no shit," claimed Neville. "Obviously they're Death Eaters. That Amycus, that was the guy right? Yeah, Amycus had his sleeves pushed up to his elbows while he was pigging out in the soup and you could see his mark. Everyone knows that Dumbledore's death was ordered by You-Know-Who."

"What worries me," Ginny added. "Was when Snape said that they are in charge of discipline. Filch has always been talking about getting out his chains again. Ron said that he had to polish them for his detention one time! He'll probably get to use them, or the Carrows will punish us in terrible ways that only make sense in the minds of the wretchedly cruel."

As they were having their conversation, Nearly Headless Nick floated over to join them. He immediately began a new conversation of his own. "Now, I don't know about you but that Sorting Hat song was quite like the one two years ago. Stick together, it said. Well you know what I think of that? Codswallop!" Nick spoke with a passion so large that his head rocked slightly on its hinge.

Neville sighed. Nick always directed the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go. "Yes Nick, it did. But last time it gave a warning that we didn't listen to Harry's uncle ended up dying. I had to go fight at the Ministry against Death Eaters, and so did Ginny."

"Nick, it isn't impossible for the houses to get along, you know," Ginny reprimanded the much-older ghost. "My good friend is in Ravenclaw, I will have you know."

"Ravenclaw is alright, and I have nothing against Hufflepuff either," the ghost huffed. "But there is no way that I will ever work alongside of a Slytherin. Did you know You-Know-Who was actually the many-great-grandson of Salazar Slytherin? No. You did not. Slytherins," he spat. "Are never any good."

"Andromeda Tonks wasn't bad," Ginny argued, feeling the need to defend the old hat. "So that outlier ruins your argument that _all _Slytherins are bad."

This left Nick lost for words, which rarely ever happened. "I suppose you're right in that respect, Miss Weasley, though my words simply stated that Slytherins aren't good," he replied thoughtfully. "I really must be off. The Headless Hunt is giving me an interview as I refuse to take no for an answer." The three Gryffindors knew that Nick was lying, but they let him leave nonetheless and resumed their previous conversation.

"So, if Amycus has the mark do you think that Alecto does too?" Ginny asked with fearful curiosity.

"Without a doubt!" Seamus replied. "I'm willing to bet that she was the one to convince him to get it!"

"You don't even know either of them yet," Neville reasoned. "Maybe they may look gruesome but they're on our side... I mean, look at Mundungus Fletcher!"

Ginny snorted. "Fletcher is filthy and is only on the side of the Order because of Dumbledore and because he wants protection. Who knows how much longer he'll last."

Seamus looked at Ginny and Neville in disbelief. "I saw the mark... think rationally, you two! Snape is a Death Eater. He killed Dumbledore, according to Harry. The ministry fell about a week ago to You-Know-Who. What do you expect?"

Neville thought for a moment. _He has a point... gah, who am I kidding. He's absolutely right for once. I'll have to face the music I suppose. Who else would teach a Dark Arts class, anyway?_

Sighing, Ginny propped her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table. "Seamus, when did you get all this sense? Has it always been there, or what?"

Grinning, Seamus replied carelessly. "When you've been blasted and burned enough times, you learn a lot about philosophy." The three of them laughed and began talking about their potions failures, of which Neville had many, and Seamus's various means of obtaining burns. This turned their conversation away from the dire topics of the time and made them almost forget that they were entering a year of darkness. Neville almost forgot all of his worries as he dug into a plateful of treacle tart.

After everyone had finished eating and the tables cleared themselves, Snape stood up again. "Prefects will lead their houses to their dormitories and report to the head boy or girl for patrol assignments. Head Boy is Mr. Draco Malfoy of Slytherin house and Head Girl is Miss Susan Bones of Hufflepuff house." Everyone stood and left the Hall in a large mass out of the large doors.

Neville and Seamus rushed ahead of the group. Ginny had told them the password and they were able to get into the tower before the first years. Neville wondered how she had gotten the password, and then remembered that Ginny was friends with Lavender who had been chosen as Gryffindor's new prefect, what with both Ron and Hermione being gone.

Tired from the food and exhausted from watching Snape begin to take control of the school, Seamus and Neville trudged up to their dormitory. When they got to the dorm, Neville was again struck by the reality of his year. There would be no Dean putting up his muggle football posters or Ron spreading his bright orange Chudley Cannons sheets on the bed second to the door or Harry's bag of owl treats sitting on his side table. Seamus and Neville stood in the door for a moment, realising that their trunks were sitting at the feet of the two beds closest to the door. Harry and Ron's beds...

"Mate..." Seamus stated. "It feels wrong to sleep in their beds... I mean, it's Harry and Ron! Sleeping in their beds is like admitting that they are gone for good..."

"You honestly think they'll come back?" Neville asked. "For all we know, they really are on the run, like all of the rumors say."

"They're not just running. Ron had no reason to just run, and Hermione isn't the kind to run away from her problems. No, they're out there fighting for the Wizarding World." Seamus spoke with determination that couldn't be paralleled. "My mam is wrong about Harry. He'll come back and save us, Nev. I know he will. Because he's never let us down before. If the Ministry is spreading it, I do not believe it."

"This is quite the change in tune from two years ago, Shay," Neville observed tiredly.

"I'm quite changed from two years ago. I've seen it, I've heard it. I'm not denying the proof of my eyes." He replied simply.

Neville nodded in agreement and began dragging his trunk over to where he had been sleeping for the past seven years of his life. Seamus followed suit, and neither one of them stopped until their trunks were back in their rightful place. They then both collapsed on their four-posters, still in their robes, and fell asleep from exhaustion.

While falling asleep, Neville thought, _tomorrow we begin to experience Hogwarts in a new way... Damn, why did the first have to fall on a Monday? Merlin, from the looks of the Carrows this is going to be a long year..._

**A/N I'm really sorry about my torture of the Creevey brothers, but it never made sense in my head that they were muggleborn and still made it into Hogwarts. I know, hate me if you want to, I hate myself for it but I had to do it for the sake of canon compliance in my mind... I also hate myself that one of my other stories, "The Crucio Effect" is basically a description of what happened there. Thank you for reading! I'm sorry for the feels I'm undoubtedly giving you, as I got them writing it! Please forgive me and leave a review! **


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! It means the world to me that people take the time to read and enjoy my work! I wrote a piece about Minerva called Migraines based in this world of Hogwarts during the opening feast if anyone is interested. **

At breakfast the next day, Neville hardly touched his food. He, Seamus and Ginny were sitting at the Gryffindor table in silence, awaiting their schedules. Luna pranced over to them from the Ravenclaw table. "You should really be eating," she commented before sitting down beside Ginny. "Have you gotten your schedules yet?"

Neville groaned at the mention of schedules. "Do you really think we wouldn't be eating if we already knew what we were going to be subjected to today?" He asked. "Honestly, the anticipation kills my appetite."

"Well you should still eat," Luna pointed out. "Everyone else is getting through the anticipation just fine."

Seamus nervously loosened his tie. "Erm, I may or may not have thrown up what I ate last night at the thought of classes," he said. Ginny groaned.

"Too much information, fireboy," she complained. "You trying to make me lose my appetite as well?"

Just as they began to argue about what would and would not make them lose their appetite, Professor Amycus Carrow walked over to them from the staff table. "What is a Ravenclaw doing sitting at the Gryffindor table?" asked the Carrow, in a voice that sounded feral to Neville.

Luna turned around on the bench to face Professor Carrow. "Sir, I am talking to my friends," she replied, nonplussed. "My friends just so happen to be in Gryffindor so you'll have to just excuse the fact that I am not sitting with my housemates." Carrow looked like he wanted to explode, but Luna wasn't yet done. "Also, by sitting here I am not breaking any Hogwarts rules and as such there is really nothing you can do to stop me that would be justified."

As Luna began to turn in her seat, Professor Carrow lost his temper. "That," he said, slapping Luna across the face, "was for complete insolence." He then stalked away, leaving the four kids gaping and Luna lightly touching where he had smacked her face. Luna's eyes silently welled with tears of pain and Ginny put an arm around her friend.

"Nev," started Seamus. "We gotta do something about this." However Neville wasn't listening. He was outraged by the mindless act of violence against Luna.

"Seamus," Neville asked. "Do you have your potions kit on you?"

"But you're rubbish at potions, Neville. Bloody rubbish," said Seamus. However, he got the kit out anyway. Neville dug around until he found what he was looking for.

Neville spread a combination of herbs from the bottom of the kit on Luna's cheek. "Not potions I'm doing now, Shay. This is herbology. Bit of dittany, tad bit of this..." Neville murmured to himself as he crushed herbs together. When he finished, he found an extra bandage in his bag and placed it over the green salve on Luna's face. "That should help it, Luna." He told her kindly.

Ginny and Seamus stared at Neville in slight shock, making him blush. "It was just some pain killing and swelling herbs..." he said bashfully. Before any of his friends could reply, Parvati Patil marched over to them.

Not mincing her words, Parvati got right to her point. "What in Merlin's name got into you, Neville? Are you really Neville?"

Sitting in shock, Neville replied honestly. "Still Neville, but I really don't know what got into me. On the train, we're talking?"

"Well yes," said Parvati, crossing her arms. "We need someone to take the lead. I know I'm not the only one who foresees a horrible year. There is no way I'm letting them turn me into a Death Eater."

Before Parvati could continue, Professor McGonagall brought them their schedules. Ginny groaned, interrupting Parvati. "Double potions with Slughorn."

Luna interjected her own complaint. "I have double muggle studies with Carrow, so you get off easy."

"True. Which Carrow teaches that?"

"The female one."

"Ahh. What do you boys have?"

"Free first, followed by Dark Arts," replied Seamus. Parvati, who was still standing behind them, tapped Neville on the shoulder to regain his attention, however it wasn't her that spoke next, as Ginny again interrupted her.

"Nev, Vati, Luna, Shay?" Said Ginny somewhat tentatively. "I need to get to class, but after class no, after dinner, get everyone you know from the DA, and then some, to come to the Room of Requirement."

"But why?" Questioned Neville.

"Because its the only safe place to talk without being overheard." Ginny then picked up her bag and marched out of the hall. Parvati sat down in Ginny's vacated seat.

Luna stood, addressing the boys. "I should really see who else has class with me. I'll be at the Ravenclaw table," she said, then under her breath, "I'll get people if you do."

The three Gryffindors nodded, almost imperceptibly, and Luna skipped off to her house table. Neville frowned. "What were you saying before, Parvati?" he questioned.

"We need someone to lead us through the year, Nev," she said, looking at him meaningfully.

Seamus snorted. "You mean this old lump," he joked. Then, completely serious, "I could see that."

Neville began to stammer, but Parvati put a hand over his mouth. "I'm going to get people to come tonight. As Ginny said, it's not safe here." Once she removed her hand, Neville simply taped at her.

"But I'm not... I've never won house points and I'm not strong..." he said humbly. This made Seamus laugh.

"Buy a mirror mate," he said. "Take a look at what the rest of us see." Parvati smiled at Neville.

"That and you won points first year. Remember?"

"Well yes," Neville protested. "But that was six years ago."

"Still," she pointed. "Renders your argument invalid." Parvati then stood up and rejoined Lavender down the table. Neville thought he heard her say something about hard-headed and his being blind, but he brushed it off.

Neville and Seamus finished their breakfast, trying to act like they weren't planning a slightly detention-worthy meeting, before heading up to Dark Arts class. "Is it just me," Neville started. "Or does this class sound like the most unpleasant thing we'll ever do?"

Seamus replied on their trek up the stairs. "Yes."

XxXxXxXxXx

"The dark arts will be fundamental to your learning this year," stated Professor Amycus Carrow. "You will learn from the same curriculum as first years as your prior education is severely lacking. To start, who here has seen an unforgivable performed?"

Neville, Seamus, and all of the other seventh years taking the class rose their hands. Professor Carrow was openly astounded. "How has Dumbledore allowed that?" He asked." Don't answer that. We all know it was Moody. How many of you have performed one?"

Everyone put their hands down, except for Neville. Carrow raised an eyebrow. "I see that we have someone, yes? Mr...?"

"Longbottom, sir," said Neville. "and actually no. I haven't performed an unforgivable, and I just wanted to inform you that I will not be performing one in your class."

Seamus leaned closer to Neville and whispered to him, "What are you doing? Are you off your rocker?" But Neville simply waved him off, awaiting Carrow's answer. He never got an answer, simply a sneer from Carrow, who then continued to teach his ghastly lesson.

"Now, our first lesson will be in theory of the Cruciatus curse," Carrow said, sneering directly at Neville, who had gone white as a sheet. As the lesson progressed, Neville grew more and more anxious for it to be over.

He noticed himself beginning to zone out, so he told Seamus, "I'm going to put my head down. Take notes and cover me."

"Being a rebel," Seamus observed. "Who are you and what have you done with Neville?"

Neville laughed quietly and put his head down. After a while though, Carrow noticed.

"Mr. Longbottom," he began. "Would you care to tell us the incantation to perform the Cruciatus curse?" Neville's head shot up, and he couldn't hold back a snarky comment.

"No, Professor Carrow. I would not 'care' to inform you of an incantation that you've undoubtedly used many times. Unless of course, you're suffering amnesia." Neville smirked as the self-satisfied look began to slip from Carrow's face. "Then I would recommend seeing Madame Pomfrey, _sir."_

This statement caused the room to fall to dead silence. Neville could hear the breathing if his classmates, it was so quiet. Hogwarts never fell that quiet. Finally, Professor Carrow spoke. "Detention, Mr. Longbottom. Maybe then you won't be so evidently confident on your stance on this curse. My office, seven tonight." His lips curled as he said it and Neville gulped. He had momentarily forgotten that Carrow was a head of discipline...

"Now that that is over, who can tell me the origin of the word Cruciatus?" Carrow continued teaching as if nothing had happened.

Seamus began writing furiously on a piece of parchment, which he then slid to Neville.

_What's got your trousers in a bunch? Honestly, you never lose your cool, Nev! -Shay_

Turning to Seamus, Neville gave him a look. Seamus, in turn, motioned for Neville to reply. Grudgingly, Neville complied.

**He's forcing us to learn how to perform an unforgivable. The very unforgivable that Bellatrix Lestrange was put in Azkaban for using on my parents, who now live full time in St. Mungo's. -Nev**

_Yes well, that never set you off when Moody was teaching it._

**Moody wasn't trying to get a rise out of me. And furthermore, times were different three years ago. AND he wasn't training us to use it on innocents.**

_True, I'll give you that. But still, I'll tell Ginny to hold the meeting off until tomorrow if you like._

**Nah, go on without me, Shay. I'm just one person. Don't let me hold it up.**

_Should I bust you out of your detention? Whole class knows when it is. I'll create a distraction! _

**Don't bother. I'll get whatever he has me do over with and maybe catch a bit of the end depending on how long Ginny expects this to be.**

_Sir yes sir!_

**Don't call me that.**

_Aye aye, Courageous Leader!_

**No.**

_Fearless Leader?_

**I'm not a leader, Shay. Now drop it.**

_Whatever you say, Nev. Whatever you say._

XxXxXxXxXxX

That evening, after an uneventful lunch and uneventful period of double History of Magic, which was almost thankfully unchanged by the new regime, Neville dragged himself to the Great Hall to eat before his detention. When he got to the Gryffindor table, Seamus, Ginny and Lavender were in the thick of a discussion.

"I'm just saying that there's no way," Lavender was saying. "Ginny, it's impossible to expect people to wait around until after curfew for one person." Hearing the topic of conversation as he sat next to Seamus, Neville audibly groaned.

"I told you," he said. "Do not hold the meeting on my account. Honestly, I don't want others to suffer from my stupidity." Lavender piped up at the sound of someone agreeing with her.

"But Nev," Seamus started, but Neville cut him off.

"No. I'll not have it."

"Yes, fearless leader."

"I told you not to call me that," Neville groaned again.

"Well pardon me if you're taking that role," Seamus retorted.

"Neville," Ginny said. "I cannot have the meeting without you. It simply cannot happen. You're too important."

"Well then," Lavender said, rising from her chair. "Neville will preach my side so I'm off. I have Charms club to attend."

"Bye, Lav," said Ginny simply.

"Yeah, bye," added Neville distractedly. "Ginny, can you at least tell us why I'm apparently so important?" In response, Ginny bit her lip and shook her head.

"It's too prevalent to the meeting and anyone could overhear us here."

Sighing, Neville gave up and downed some food while he could. "I'll let you know what detention with Carrow is like," he told them between bites of Shepard's Pie.

"Which Carrow?" Asked Ginny.

"The male one," replied Seamus for Neville.

"Well how was I supposed to know that?"

"Hmm, good point," Seamus said as a wicked grin spread across his features. "We shall call the male one Carrow One, and the female one Carrow Two."

"Has a nice ring to it," said Ginny. Neville checked his watch and saw that he had to go. "Have fun with Carrow One!" Called Ginny as he jogged out of the Great Hall.

_Yeah right, _thought Neville as he made his way to Carrow One's office.

On his way up the many moving stairways of Hogwarts, Neville relished in the fact that he had never before taken a second to just enjoy the magic of the place. Not the literal magic, but the magic of the beauty in the simplicity of the great castle. _Six years living here, _he thought to himself. _And never before have I stopped to enjoy it. _

He walked leisurely to the detention that he immensely didn't want to go to. Moving his feet slowly in order to stall. However, sooner than he would have liked, he arrived at Carrow One's office door. He knocked slowly, silently hoping that Carrow had forgotten about this detention. Luck was not on his side.

"Mr. Longbottom," said Professor Carrow from his desk as soon as Neville knocked. "Do come in. I believe that you know Mr. Goyle."

Neville trudged into the office, unsurprised to see an odd array of dark artwork on the walls. However he was surprised to see Goyle standing with Carrow One. _Did golden Death-Eater-in-Training Goyle get in trouble for being good? _Neville thought to himself, as he moved closer to Carrow's desk. His question , however, was soon answered.

"Now, Mr. Longbottom," Carrow One monologued. "Dearest Trixie told us all about you, like your apparent tendency to stay quiet and avoid confrontation. I failed to see that person in my class. Now, specifically, you are here because of your lack of knowledge in the utterance of the Cruciatus curse. Mr. Goyle has generously offered to help you with the incantation.

"Gregory here is one of my advanced students, he will prove quite useful." Neville gulped upon hearing these words, but Carrow wasn't done, and Goyle was grinning like a madman. "Now, this is a helping, learning experience for both of you as Gregory is in need of practice. Mr. Goyle, how does one begin?"

Goyle took up a stance, a stance obviously for dueling. Only Neville wasn't about to duel...

"Now, first display the proper movement." Goyle did so. Neville grew paler by the moment. "Now, pronunciation."

"Cru see oh," Goyle replied. All blood had left Neville's face.

"Together now, Gregory," instructed Carrow.

Neville murmured "please." But to no avail. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was a pain so severe that he thought his body was being ripped in two. Neville couldn't remember a time he had felt so much pain.

A few minutes later, when he came to, Neville found himself alone with Carrow One.

"Be glad it was only Gregory. He has much room for improvement," was all Carrow said. He was grading summer holiday papers that only the Slytherins had bothered to do. "He doesn't yet get that you need to relish it, to become the curse." Carrow sighed and continued. "He will learn. Let this stand as warning to you. Those who disregard the Dark Lord's curriculum shall be punished."

Neville pushed himself to his feet clumsily. "I'll keep that in mind, Professor," he replied. Carrow let out a feral smile.

"We may have room in our ranks for you, Mr. Longbottom."

"I take that as a compliment, _Professor_. Or is compliment the right word?" Neville replied snidely. Just then, down the hallway there was a loud crash and the sound of running feet. Carrow rose from his seat as a few seconds later another bang occurred, this time louder and closer.

"What the hell is going on out there?" asked Carrow, voicing exactly what Neville had been thinking. Carrow marched out of the office, Neville still standing shakily inside of it. Carrow rushed back in and grabbed his wand, which he had left on his desk. He was muttering under his breath, "Damn students. Dark Lord sends me to teach a bunch of blood traitors and this is the welcome I get?"

"Um, Professor?" Neville said tentatively, reminding Carrow that he was still there. "May I be dismissed?"

"Go. And don't bother going to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey has been told not to treat you." Neville nodded his head and slowly, painfully, left the office.

After a painful stumble down the hallway, he was pulled behind a painting by a body smaller than his own. Turning around, he cast light on the face of his captor and saw that it was Nigel. He sighed. "I told Seamus not to go on some hokey rescue mission. Why did he send you?"

Nigel looked at Neville, confused. "Seamus didn't send us. Me and Jonathan heard screaming in this corridor on our way to the meeting and decided to help. Don't worry, we waited until that big guy, Goyle, left!"

Shaking his head, Neville looked down at the younger boy. "Why did you do that, though? You could have been caught, punished."

"Because someone was being hurt and it's only the second day. We just wanted to help, Neville..." Nigel looked at his feet.

Seeing the shamed look on Nigel's face, Neville looked at things in a new light. "Good man, Nigel. Good on you. Now let's get to this meeting and find out what Ginny thinks is so important. Hopefully your buddy Jonathan will meet us there." Nigel nodded and smiled before the two took off for the Room of Requirement and Ginny's inevitable revelation of ideas.

Once they got to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, Neville saw that the door was carelessly left in sight of anyone. Shaking his head, he walked in ahead of Nigel and thought, _we need this door not to be seen by any Carrow supporters._

Neville felt the telltale signs of extra security and headed over to a rather large group of people who were sitting in a circle on pillows, talking about the war. Neville was shocked to see so many people in attendance. Nigel rushed over to where his friend Jonathan was sitting, looking rattled but alright. Luna apparently noticed their arrival, as she said, "Neville's here. Don't you love this room?"

Feeling bad, Neville said, "it's great. I was able to increase security so no Carrow supporters can get in." As he said this, Ginny's ears turned bright, Weasley red as she blushed, telling Neville who had forgotten to do so.

"Anyway," he continued, still shaken from his detention he sat on a pillow between Seamus and Luna. "How did so many of you get the message?"

"We are in rough times, Neville," said Ernie MacMillan from his spot beside Susan. "Most of us still carry our Galleons from two years ago." As visual, Ernie pulled his out of his pocket.

"That's brilliant!" Said Neville enthusiastically. "Whose idea?"

"Luna's," replied Ginny simply, reminding Neville that she had been the one to call the meeting.

"Now Ginny, why did you need to hold up this fine get together for me?" Neville asked. "I'm just another person, and you shouldn't have."

"Well... I've been thinking about how we're all going to survive with Death Eaters running the school... It's run through my mind all summer and since the train I knew it was possible. I believe that the only way that we are going to get through this year alive, we need to band together." Taking a deep breath and scanning the room to see that people were actually listening, Ginny continued. "This year, at the Sorting, the Hat said that the houses needed to stick together, essentially. I feel... I feel like we should start up the DA again."

An outbreak of talking and opinions burst forth from this proclamation, but Seamus yelled "OI! Shut your bleedin' pie holes so we can hear and explanation!" which shut everyone up; well, almost everyone.

Ernie called out from his spot, "Harry, Ron and Hermione are gone and there's no way that I'm following someone as timid as you are! Who the hell do you think is going to lead an organization that will probably get the leader killed?"

Ginny shot a glare at Ernie that she probably learned from her mother. "We are going to follow a leader who is brave, loyal, trustworthy, and probably the most qualified to lead us." Looking at Neville, she continued. "This person witnessed atrocities as bad as those Harry saw as a small child. He came back when everyone else ran away. He is shit at potions, but fought at the Battle last year and was there at the Department of Mysteries. He's already stood up to Carrow once this year, and that person is Neville Longbottom."

Neville's face went stark white at this. He stared at Ginny, unable to get past all of the kind things she had just said to and about him. Seamus spoke next, "I second the motion! Bloke stood up to a group of Death Eaters on the train as well."

Little Nigel spoke up loudly. "He understands how you actually feel when bad things happen too! And he's ready to help."

Nigel's friend Jonathan chimed in, "Neville was looking out for me and Nigel before himself when we busted him out too."

Then Luna conducted a vote. "Anyone who is against having Neville as our leader, please stand up." Nobody stood. She smiled. "Dumbledore's Army, meet your newly elected leader. Neville," she addressed him directly. "Care to say a few words?"

Neville stood up shaking, and stood in the middle of the circle of pillows. "If you are here, know that we are loyal to each other like any Hufflepuff, we are brave like any Gryffindor, and we are resourceful like any Ravenclaw. I don't know that I'll be as good of a leader as Harry was, but I can damn well try and I don't think that you'll let me back down now. Now, who doesn't have a Galleon yet?"

About half of the room raised their hands. Neville sighed. "Where's Hermione when you need her?" Then, Anthony Goldstein made and Umbridge-like cough.

"Now, I may not be as good as Hermione," He started. "But I have my Galleon still and Michael and I know how to duplicate the Protean spell that she used."

Grinning, in that moment Neville could have kissed him. He didn't, of course, but you know. It's the thought that counts. "Alright, anyone who needs a Galleon go talk to Michael or Anthony before they leave." Addressing the two Ravenclaws, Neville asked, "Can you get them done in a week?"

Smirking, Michael replied, "We'll get them done by Friday and to the people on the list by Sunday."

"Awesome!" Then, addressing the whole group again, he said, "Next meeting is a week from today. We'll figure out a starting plan then, I guess. Now be careful not to be caught by a prefect on your way back."

The group scattered, some people falling into their designated friend groups to trek back to respective common rooms, while others crowded around Michael and Anthony to add their names to the list. Seamus slid over to Neville, who was watching the room with slight shock. "Erm, fearless leader?" He said.

Neville sighed. "I told you not to call me that..."

"Sorry," Seamus replied with a slight grin betraying that he was not sorry in the slightest. "But how do we know that we won't have another spy like Marietta? Not everyone is on Hermione's list anymore."

"Honestly haven't gotten that far yet. You really think I'll make a good leader?"

"Undoubtedly, Nev. Undoubtedly. You fall into the leader role easily."

Grinning, Neville and Seamus made their way back to Gryffindor tower. _That makes one of us, Shay, _thought Neville. _That makes one of us._


End file.
